Hearty Spices

Ras – Heat 4 cups of Milk in a non-stick pan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and cook the milk till it reduces to half the quantity, stirring continuously. Add a pinch of Saffron, a tbsp of Sugar to taste and mix well. Once the milk is reduced, add 2 tbsp of chopped Almonds and Pistachios, a pinch of Cardamom Powder and remove from heat. Malai - Heat 4 cups of Milk to a boil and slowly add 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice to it. When the milk curdles, remove from heat and strain in a cheesecloth. Pour cold water over the cheese cloth and drain the water off the paneer by hanging it over the tap for 30 minutes. Remove the paneer from the cheese cloth and knead till it becomes smooth dough. Make 12 small portions into balls and flatten them out without any cracks on the side. Heat 5 cups of Water in a pressure cooker, dissolve 1 cup of Sugar and add the flattened paneer discs. Close pressure cooker lid and cook until one whistle. Immediately switch off the stove and set the time...

Rice - Wash and soak 4 cups of Basmati Rice in a big bowl for about 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Add 1 tsp of Oil to a pan and sauté 1 tsp of Black Cumin Seeds till they sizzle and add the soaked rice along with Salt to taste . Add 9 cups of Water to the pan and bring to a boil and let it cook till the rice grains are just done. Drain and keep aside. Garnish – Peel and thinly slice 2 big Yellow Onions and keep aside. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of Oil/Butter and fry the onions on low-medium heat until they are golden brown in color. Remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl and keep aside. Toast 3 tbsp of Almonds, Cashewnuts and Raisins in 1 tbsp of Butter/Oil and keep aside. Soak a pinch of Saffron in ½ cup of Warm Milk in a small bowl and keep aside. Mutton Gravy - In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of Oil/Butter and add washed and cubed 1 kg of Lean Lamb leg Meat . Stir fry till the meat has browned on all sides and add ½ of the fried onions, 2 tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste and ½...

Roasted Red Pepper - Spray a large Red Pepper lightly with oil and roast over a flame, or broil in the oven at 450 F, till charred on the outside. Set aside and allow cooling. Once it comes to room temperature, peel the outside skin of the pepper and slice thinly. Caramelized Onions -  Heat 1 tbsp of Butter in a non-stick pan and saute a finely minced Garlic Clove, a large Onion, finely sliced with Salt to taste, Pepper to taste & ½ tsp of Curry Powder till caramelized and tender. Panini -  Layer roasted red pepper slices, caramelized onions, and top with Chopped Coriander Leaves and top with other slice of bread and heat in a Panini grill / pan till warm.

Marinade - Clean and cut the 500 gm of Chicken into bite-size pieces and marinate with 2 tsp of Vinegar, Salt to taste, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder and 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder for 3 hours. Then, boil the chicken in microwave or pan with closed lid for 10 minutes, till the water is evaporated. Masala Powder - Grind 3 tsp of Black Pepper Corns, 3" inch of Cinnamon, 5 Cloves, 2 Cardamoms, 1 Bay Leaf, 1 tsp of Red Chili Powder and ½ tsp of Coriander Powder  to a fine powder. Keep aside. Vepudu (Fry) - Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of Oil . Add 2 finely chopped medium Onions, few Curry Leaves and saute till they are brown in colour. Add 2 tsp of Ginger – Garlic Paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the boiled chicken, cook for 5-10 minutes, and add the masala powder. Cover cook for 20 minutes or till cooked. Remove from heat, garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve hot.

Grind ½ tsp of Cumin Seeds, ½ tsp of Fenugreek Seeds, a tsp of minced Ginger, 1 Green Chilli, 1 tsp of Mint Leaves, 1 tsp of chopped Corainder Leaves, 3 chopped Curry Leaves to a paste. Add 3 cups of Yogurt and 2 cups of Water to it and blend again. Add Salt to taste and couple of Ice Cubes and blend once again. Serve chilled.

In a saucepan, boil 5-6 cups of Water along with 2 tsp of Tamrind paste . Add Salt to taste, 3 tsp of Rasam Powder, ½ tsp of Sugar,  ½ tsp of Turmeric Powder and finely chopped 2 Tomatoes . Boil for 12-15 minutes and keep aside. Heat ½ tbsp of Oil in a pan, splutter  1 tsp of Mustard Seeds, 2 Red Chillies, few Curry Leaves, 3 crushed Garlic Flakes and a pinch of Hing . Add the seasoning to the boiled charu and garnish with 2 tbsp of Coriander Leaves . Serve with steamed white rice.

Paneer Filling -  Grate Paneer to get a 1 cup of Grated Paneer . Wash, peel, boil and mash a small Potato to get ½ cup of mashed Potato . Mix them both together in a bowl. Add Salt as needed, 1 tsp of Red Chilli Powder, 1 tsp of Garam Masala Powder, ¼ tsp of Turmeric Powder, finely chopped 2 Green Chillies and chopped Coriander Leaves  to the bowl and mix well. Keep aside. Dough for Samosas (Shingaras) - Take 1 cup of All Purpose Flour In a bowl, add 3 tbsp of Oil and ¼ tsp of Salt to it kneading thoroughly for about 5 minutes. Add tsp of Water at a time to it, kneading for 3-5 minutes until the flour is made into a tight dough ball. Pinch off five equal sized balls from the kneaded dough, roll between your palms to get a circular shape, and keep aside covering with a moist cloth. Using a rolling pin on a smooth hard surface, flatten out the dough ball into an oval shape. Bisect each of them across the width to get two triangular pieces. T...